70 per cent don’t think celeb fitness DVDs will help them lose weight

More than seven million Brits own a celebrity fitness DVD - even though seven out of 10 don’t believe they can help them shed the pounds.

Researchers found 69 per cent don’t believe celeb DVDs are a sure-fire way to health, fitness and sustained weight loss.

One in four said they bought the DVD believing they would lose as much weight as the celebrity, while more than one in five (21 per cent) said they were seduced by the before and after pictures.

Almost a third of British women who bought a fitness DVD said it made themselves feel better.

Meanwhile men were more likely to be motivated by the TV show the celeb was in, with 41 per cent admitting it was why they picked it up.

And just one in eight women looking to buff up in front of the box (13 per cent) said they were motivated by the celeb’s show.

One in four said the DVDs lacked vital support from a nutritionist or trainer (26 per cent), while one in five (20 per cent) blamed the lack of their success from DVDs on the fact that celebs have more leisure time to spend working out.

The survey of 1,000 adults, for David Lloyd Leisure, also found that celebrity fitness DVDs are most popular with 16 to 24-year-olds.

TOWIE girls were found to be the most popular would-be personal trainers, with over a third of 16-24 year olds saying they would buy a DVD fronted by a TOWIE lady.

Meanwhile TV fitness fanatic Davina McCall and Tracy Anderson secured just under a third of the vote (30 per cent).

Geordie Shore workouts proved a little less popular than TOWIE, with just over a quarter of the age group opting for a Charlotte Crosby or Vicky Pattinson workout.

But the big spenders of Made in Chelsea proved the least appealing reality TV workout coaches, with under a quarter of young people (24 per cent) saying they’d pick them.

And when it came to the showdown of the soaps, DVDs from Hollyoaks and EastEnders actors (both 27 per cent) were more appealing than those of Emmerdale and Coronation Street actors (both 24 per cent).

When participants were asked what they would like to see as part of a fitness regime, almost a third (31 per cent) said they’d like a routine that takes their own metabolism and body type into account and more than a quarter (28 per cent) wanted a routine based solely on their own girls.

More than one in five (22 per cent) said they were looking for a routine where they could track their progress easily.

Michelle Dand, Group Health and Fitness Manager at David Lloyd Leisure, said: “Celebrity fitness DVDs can seem extremely appealing to those who want to lose weight, promising dramatic results in a short space of time.

“But reality is fads do not make you fit or help sustain weight loss in the long term.”